


I can't believe you guys snuck up on me

by Aslark



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Modern AU, a weird drabble?, i don't know what this is, rayla and physical affection, so rayla no like hugs, this was written waaay back, uhhhhhh, unless?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25109092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aslark/pseuds/Aslark
Summary: Rayla was never really fond of hugs until...well until she was.
Relationships: Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Rayla & Runaan (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 69





	I can't believe you guys snuck up on me

Rayla was usually, not one for physical affection. Throughout her childhood the only person she ever accepted hugs from was Ethari. Runaan was decidedly not a hugger and maybe that’s where she got it from. But that was never a problem growing up because Ethari managed to compensate for the both of them, providing an excess of bear hugs and ‘I love yous’ whether she needed them or not.

Runaan was more subtle,his way of showing his affection more indirect - a kind look behind a failing glare, giving her piggy back rides when she was too tired (or lazy) to walk(Ethari and him would take turns), ruffling her hair with a soft smile, somehow always showing up with moonberry surprise from Barius’s when she was having a bad day(when asked how he always knew Runaan would always answer with a short “I’m your father, of course I know”,Ethari always called it his Dadnaan sensor-whatever that was), and although he didn’t say it as much as Ethari did, she had heard him say “I love you” or” I’m proud of you” more times than he would care to admit.

But that was the extent of what she was comfortable with. With anyone else all she could manage was a polite nod, a handshake if she was in a good mood. Had this posed a problem while growing up? Had this maybe earned her the nickname IceQueen(white hair did not help. Was it so hard to believe that people could be born with white hair?) .Did this contribute to a lot of awkward situations?

Yes. 

But did this ever bother Rayla?

No.

She didn’t like hugs or getting overly mushy and that was that. She kept everyone at arm’s length, always choosing logic over emotion. She was fine in her own personal bubble.

At least until she met Callum.

This dork and his brother had crashed into her life on a ship with rocket boosters, with absolutely no warning whatsoever blowing away all her ‘aura against society’ as they called it, off into space and it had never been the same ever since. 

She could still remember the day she met Callum, a 13 year old at the time, a mop of messy brown hair stumbling at the entrance of their school,looking clearly nervous and maybe a little frightened. His green eyes were wide in panic, from what? she couldn’t remember. 

She would later find out that the reason he was pretty spooked was …..well because of her.

In her defense though-- she had just moved into town, was new at school and she hated mornings so she was particularly grumpy on her first day. She’d been told that her face, sleep deprived was……’worthy of an assassin’’. Well at least according to Runaan. 

So poor Callum had been on the receiving end of one of her glares and was convinced that he wouldn’t make it to the end of the school day alive. Lucky for him (he was very lucky shut up), while the entire student body had ran away, he was frozen in fear, eyes darting for a non-existent escape route -which is why she approached him to ask for directions to the principal’s office.

Callum was…. nice to talk to. They liked the same books and shows, he was funny and didn’t mind extended periods of silence when they were together, and he was the first to take her signature brand of sarcasm in a stride and actually quip back at her.

And well…...he had given her his chocolate milk on the first day, so that cemented him as a friend for life (pffttt and to think Ethari was worried about her making friends)

Fast forward a few weeks - they were friends. Fast forward a few months - they were best friends, Fast forward a year and each of their families had basically adopted the other (she now had an adorably annoying and pure hearted younger brother against who she had no power whatsoever- stupid puppy dog eyes).

Fast forward a couple of more years and they were basically inseparable.

Whenever you found Callum sketching under a tree? Rayla was probably sleeping on one of the branches. She had a basketball match? You’d find him cheering from the stands. He was in the library? She was probably napping in the seat next to him (she loved reading but something about the school library always knocked her out).

Callum’s sitting in the local cafe with a book alone at the table? Rayla works there. You see her Naruto-running across the streets? Callum was probably chasing after her, apologizing to anything or anyone she might’ve bumped into. 

Basically, when you couldn’t reach Rayla on her phone you’d try Callum’s and vice versa. She wasn’t home? Check the Harrow residence. Wanted to borrow Callum’s notes? They were probably at Rayla’s house.

Why they were best friends, was often a topic of discussion in their school. Their personalities could not be any more different. Callum - who was soft-spoken, kind, a bit of a nerd ,didn’t have an athletic bone in his body and Rayla - headstrong, cool (she made Naruto running popular and that’s no simple feat), kind(the entire student body wanted to be her friend) and probably the best basketball player in the state.

And yet somehow? They were inseparable and always had each other’s backs. Callum forgets his homework? Rayla’s mysteriously disappears from her bag. Rayla wants to skip a class? Callum has to suddenly go to the nurse’s office and Rayla’s the only one who can take him. 

Even the professors caught on to their antics but they were two of the smartest students in school so they always let it slide(favoritism much?).The one thing that they did have in common-- that was obvious to everyone was their affection for a certain bushy haired jelly tart inhaler. Ezran was popular enough in his own right in the middle school division for his…..eccentric tendencies.

Was the bakery mysteriously out of jelly tarts? Chances are, either Callum or Rayla (or both of them) had bought all of them for Ezran. Someone spotted three kids at a pond at 3 in the morning? Ezran believed that glow toads only came out at night and you'd be an idiot if you thought they'd let him go alone.

Ezran was the first to break through her ‘no hug’ persona. 

Thinking about it now, she wasn’t really surprised- he was a very affectionate kid from the get go, a literal walking ray of sunshine. He only reached up to her waist when they first met but that didn’t stop him from barreling towards her, arms open wide yelling “Rayla!” (Callum had been talking about her up a lot apparently). 

It only took her a few seconds (one-to catch her balance, two-to discern what the sudden mass of hair was) to return his hug --albeit a little hesitant at first because she couldn’t remember being liked by a kid- ever, especially so quickly. 

Callum had really hyped her up. And since that day Ezran would run over to hug her whenever he saw her, be it on birthdays(his, hers, Bait’s, the baker’s- it didn’t really matter), baking days, game nights, sleep overs, Sunday morning bike rides, study sessions with Callum, before basketball matches and after, win or lose, whatever the weather and whatever the time, whatever the day, Ezran would always greet her with a bright smile and a warm hug. And she was happy to return it.

Harrow was also a hugger (Ezran had to get it from someone right?). 

Harrow greeting Ezran and Callum with a warm embrace was a common sight in the months that she had gotten to know them. Harrow was a kind man and reminded her a lot of her own dads so it was no surprise that she had begun seeing him a surrogate father figure (one can never have too many dads right?). 

The first time was when there had been a fire inside their school (a chemistry experiment gone too far) and Callum and Rayla just happened to be right next door (Who’s bright idea was it to have the library right next to the chemistry lab?). They had survived, but had emerged from the building covered in a layer of soot(her face was fine though-Callum had stubbornly insisted on tying his scarf around her nose so she wouldn’t breathe in any fumes and knowing she did not have the time to argue about this, clamped her hand tightly on his face). They were immediately met with a bone crushing hug from Harrow who had started crying tears of relief.

She had felt horribly guilty at having made him so worried and tried saying a few conciliatory words-- but stopped when Callum(who somehow managed to look her while being hugged tightly) and lightly motioned his head as if saying “Nothing you say is gonna stop him from worrying, so don’t waste your breath”.

Looking back, it was probably that moment she realized that the people who she considered family and who considered her as family- had grown. 

So she smiled returning his hug. “Sorry for making you worry Mr H, I tried telling Callum that libraries were evil but you know how he gets about his books”

That earned a protest from Callum but it’s half-hearted. He knows what she’s trying to do and he’s grateful as Harrow loosens his grip and looks at them, eyes stained with tears but a smile on his face. “I’m so glad you kids are okay. I’m so glad.” They look at Harrow and then at each other, grinning and she can feel her eyes prickling with tears from the smoke inside or something else- she’s not sure. She has a feeling Callum knows what’s going on with her(he always does), and usually his uncanny insight into her emotions would earn him a smack on the head but today she’ll let it slide.

Their Aunt Amaya was also (surprise surprise) a hugger. Her hugs usually ended up with all of them in the air (Rayla still didn’t get the physics behind this). Gren and Corvus settled for pats on the shoulder—always cordial but Rayla would never forget how these three were the first ones to break down and sob giving herself and Callum bone crushing hugs the day they left for college.

When she first met Soren and Claudia, she wasn’t sure what to expect from them. They were introduced to her as Callum’s very quirky childhood friends and with them visiting every break and holiday, it didn’t take long for Soren and Claudia to decide that Rayla was a member of their weirdo club. Claudia’s hugs always had an element of surprise to them because Rayla could never predict what mixture of chemicals she’d smell or what weird experiment would stick on to her, Claudia was always cooking up something……questionable and Rayla was happy to provide assistance when she could (witches unite?). 

Soren’s, on the other hand would always end up with either of them trying to put each other into a choke-hold or judo flip the other. Soren would always sport a new bruise courtesy of yours truly (eh he could take it. Probably)

Viren was…...well Vireny…. and he seemed to be as socially awkward as she was so a curt nod was the extent of their displays of…...acquaintanceship?

Callum would always tease her about how he and Ezran had ruined Rayla's "I'm a cool loner" street cred 0.5 seconds after they met (to which he'd a get a prompt flick on the forehead). But Rayla couldn't really deny it. She never really was a person for showing physical affection. 

But some people? She didn't mind it one bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Riiight so I know the ending is pretty stupid but I wrote this so long ago i can't remember what I wanted to write.(I'm pretty sure I had an entire section thought out for Callum but alas I have no idea which part of my brain has it so). I found this sitting in my files and thought ehhh what the hell and decided to release it into the internet. Might write more if I actually remember what I wanted to write or if I find the motivation or ideas to continue it. Anywho if you reached the end of this thanks for stopping by.


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